Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Having done some casting i know a little bit
 My Jensen engine with cast base certainly looks like sand casting . And yes Jim a former is used and the sand packed around it then the former removed .

The workshop tools look very smooth so either die cast  or sand cast then finished ( ie sand paper or file )
 Die cast could be a simple as solid graphite blocks ( two halves )
I have played with this and you get  a smooth finish and better detail than sand

Cheers
Dennis